Buying in San Diego is a local market made of many smaller ones. A condo in Little Italy, a house in Bay Park, and a home in Chula Vista do not compete with each other. The steps below are the same across the city. The search area is what changes.
Get a real budget before you tour
A preapproval letter tells you what a lender will consider, not what you should spend. Ask the lender about down payment, monthly cost, and whether the loan fits a condo with an association. Some downtown buildings are harder to finance than a house on its own lot. Know that before you write an offer.
Then pick two or three areas and learn the housing stock. Neighborhood guides for La Jolla, Pacific Beach, North Park, Bay Park, University City, downtown, and Chula Vista are a useful map. Current listings show what is actually for sale. Closed sales on that page are examples of recent work, not a price list for the next house you see.
Write an offer that can close
The purchase contract sets price, timeline, and contingencies. Common buyer contingencies are inspection, appraisal, and loan. Each one is a deadline. Missing a deadline can waive the protection, so the calendar matters as much as the price.
Inspection contingency. Time to hire inspectors and ask for repairs, a credit, or a cancellation if the contract allows it.
Appraisal contingency. Used when you are financing. If the appraisal comes in below the price, the contract explains the choices.
Loan contingency. Time for the lender to approve the loan you applied for.
San Diego sales usually close through escrow with a title company. Escrow holds the deposit, pays liens, and records the deed when both sides have signed and the lender, if any, has funded.
Inspections that matter here
A general home inspection is the start. In California, buyers also commonly order a wood-destroying pest inspection. On older houses, a sewer-line camera is worth discussing. Clay laterals fail, and the repair is in the yard, not on the listing sheet. Condos need a different read: the association budget, reserves, insurance, any litigation, and rules on rentals and parking.
Sellers of most one-to-four unit homes provide a Transfer Disclosure Statement and a natural hazard report. Read them. They cover known defects and whether the property sits in a flood, fire, or earthquake zone. They do not replace your own inspection.
From escrow to keys
Once you remove contingencies, the work shifts to the lender, escrow, and insurance. Do a final walk-through before closing to confirm the home is in the agreed condition and that included items are still there. Plan for closing funds to arrive as a wire from your bank, and confirm the wire instructions by phone with escrow. Do not rely on emailed instructions alone.
Jon Gower is a California broker (DRE 01923180) and an attorney. If you want a second set of eyes on the contract, contact Gower Realty Group.
